stained glass window
the many shades
of our life
Blessed Ayeyame, Nigeria
Pinkie Maclure is an award-winning Scottish stained-glass artist and singer who uses the allegorical power of medieval and renaissance stained glass to tell contemporary stories, linking the characters and events of the past with the world today.
Originally trained in theatre design and performance, gaining a BA (Hons) and performing as a professional singer for many years. Maclure has worked professionally in stained glass for 25 years and is fascinated by medieval glass, with its extraordinary imagery, complex narratives, dark humour, and fine detail.
She can make large architectural pieces to commission, but is more well-known for her intimate, exquisitely detailed pieces, made specifically to display in light boxes, like glowing paintings.
Stained glass was invented to communicate to a largely illiterate population, its vivid colours having a unique, seductive quality that is hard to resist. However, its narrative role has been largely abandoned in the last century, which is something Pinkie is challenging, by making work that reflects the world around us today.
Working with hand blown glass, a sandblaster and a drill, she uses a variety of experimental techniques, including layering, engraving and diamond filing. In 2016, a short course with renowned American artist, Judith Schaechter, enabled her to further develop these methods.
Her work is in the collection of the National Museum of Scotland, The UK Stained Glass Museum and many private collections. Architectural commissions have included NHS Lothian and the Church of Scotland.
Her first solo exhibition took place at the CCA Glasgow in 2023. In 2024 she was selected for the New York Corning Museum of Glass publication ‘New Glass Review’ and featured in the Financial Times and American Stained Glass Quarterly.
Her 3m x 2.5m work ‘The Soil’, with her own 3D sound installation, is installed at Two Temple Place London until April 21, 2024, in the ‘Glass Heart’ exhibition. She has also been shortlisted for the 2024 John Ruskin Prize.
Image: Pinkie Maclure, Fish & Chips, 2020, stained glass light box backlit with LEDs, H720 mm x W820 x D50 mm.
Courtesy and ©Pinkie Maclure and Renée Pfister Art & Gallery Consultancy 2024.